The Four Stages of Cruelty by Hogarth
William Hogarth
English, 1697-1764
The Fourth Stage: The Reward of Cruelty
From The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching and engraving
This print series depicts the criminal progression of a murderer, from childhood to adulthood. The fictional character Tom Nero first abuses small animals; then he beats his horse; next he commits murder; and finally, after his conviction and execution, his corpse is dissected by anatomists. Hogarth claimed that the aim of the series was moral edification-he hoped it would end the cruelty toward animals that he often witnessed in the streets of London.
How the Prints Were Made: Like most printmakers, Hogarth developed a composition in drawings on paper before inscribing a copper plate to produce an etched and engraved work. The highly finished red chalk drawing seen here contains physical traces of how it was used as a guide in the printmaking process: the artist first rubbed chalk all over the back of the drawing. He then placed the sheet on a copper plate coated with a thin, waxy substance and drew over the contours of every component using a stylus (a small metal stick). The pressure from the stylus created indentions over every outline (called incising) and transferred the chalk on the back of the paper to the surface of the copper plate. These outlines served as a guide for making the same scene in etching and engraving, but as Hogarth worked on the copper plate, he made further changes and variations to his design.
(From Harvard Art Museums)
The Four Stages of Cruelty by Hogarth
William Hogarth
English, 1697-1764
The Fourth Stage: The Reward of Cruelty
From The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching and engraving
This print series depicts the criminal progression of a murderer, from childhood to adulthood. The fictional character Tom Nero first abuses small animals; then he beats his horse; next he commits murder; and finally, after his conviction and execution, his corpse is dissected by anatomists. Hogarth claimed that the aim of the series was moral edification-he hoped it would end the cruelty toward animals that he often witnessed in the streets of London.
How the Prints Were Made: Like most printmakers, Hogarth developed a composition in drawings on paper before inscribing a copper plate to produce an etched and engraved work. The highly finished red chalk drawing seen here contains physical traces of how it was used as a guide in the printmaking process: the artist first rubbed chalk all over the back of the drawing. He then placed the sheet on a copper plate coated with a thin, waxy substance and drew over the contours of every component using a stylus (a small metal stick). The pressure from the stylus created indentions over every outline (called incising) and transferred the chalk on the back of the paper to the surface of the copper plate. These outlines served as a guide for making the same scene in etching and engraving, but as Hogarth worked on the copper plate, he made further changes and variations to his design.
(From Harvard Art Museums)